1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the operation of AC motors or similar loads with AC motor drives that convert power from a DC source to AC, and more particularly to operation of the motor at maximum power as the power from the DC source varies. A particular application is to solar powered systems and to water pumps.
2. Description of Related Art
An AC load can be powered from a DC source by using a converter to change DC to AC. However, because of changes in both the source and the load, it can be difficult to meet the power requirements of the load. For example, a photovoltaic solar cell array is a DC source. However, the current-voltage (I-V) curve shifts under varying conditions, e.g. amount of sun. Thus the available power will vary. One application of solar power is to operate water pumps, which typically include three phase AC motors. However, the load curve of the AC pump motor can also shift with varying conditions, e.g. water depth. Thus it can be difficult to efficiently operate an AC pump from a solar array.
A solar powered water pumping system typically has three primary components: the solar array, made of photovoltaic (PV) modules; a converter (inverter or motor drive) which converts the DC from the PV array to AC; and an AC motor (pump). The motor typically runs at a particular frequency (speed), e.g. 60 Hz. The converter will usually be set to provide AC power at that particular frequency. The motor will run at a speed equal to the AC frequency.
In operation, the motor demands power. The motor pumps the most water when it is at the maximum power point. As the solar array output changes, e.g. decreases from a maximum to a lower voltage, the I-V power curve changes, but there is always a maximum power point. However, if the motor continues to run at the same speed, e.g. 60 Hz, then as the voltage drops, the current must increase to meet the power requirements, until the increased current can damage the motor.
Thus, controlling motors at fixed frequency is very difficult. If the power is to remain constant at a given frequency, then a change in DC voltage must be accompanied by a change in DC current. If the voltage decreases, the current must increase, which results in a further voltage decrease and current increase until a point is reached where a shutdown must occur to prevent motor damage or increased heat or other related damage.
In general, it is desirable to operate at the maximum power point (MPP) on a power curve. However, it is difficult to track power. Power tracking generally requires detecting two parameters, current (I) and voltage (V), and measuring changes in the product (IV).
If the motor operates at a reduced frequency, then it requires less power. While this is not as good as operating at full power, the motor can be kept operating at the maximum operating frequency for the existing conditions, without damaging the motor. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a method and apparatus to operate an AC motor from a motor drive by changing the AC frequency and thus the motor speed to correspond to the available power.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,275,403 is directed to a bias control circuit connected to a DC to AC converter to control motor frequency of a connected motor by applying a bias voltage to the converter to control the frequency of the AC output of the converter. The bias control circuit is responsive to the DC voltage from a DC source, e.g. solar array, connected to the converter. The system is designed to operate an AC motor or other load from a DC source under varying source and/or load conditions. In a preferred embodiment, the bias control circuit has a multistage configuration and provides bias voltages at a plurality of discrete DC source voltages. Thus the system, while providing significant improvement in motor operation, requires an additional hardware circuit, and operates at a number of discrete levels limited by the number of stages in the circuit.
Accordingly it is desirable to provide a simple system for controlling the motor speed to better match the maximum power point without having to measure power. It would also be desirable to provide a system which is implemented in software and eliminates the need for additional hardware circuits.